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Just bought 735il, was told it was a repo that they took the coil off of. Replaced coil, still wont crank, and quickly drains battery. Fuel read out said no gas in vehicle. Put couple gallons in, still wont start. Looks like someone has already checked fuel pump, as they didnt put the cover back on in the trunk, HAVE 88 535 WITH SAME ENGINE...ARE PARTS COMPATIBLE??...any suggestions
88 735il
6 cyl 3.5

now, let's get to the issue. is it not cranking (nothing happens when the key is turned), or not starting (just cranks and doesn't start up)??

they are 2 different issues.

1st, get a fresh battery. then see if it cranks. if not, then look at the starter circuit. you could be looking at simply a atarter, or perhaps an issue with the ignition switch. (or somewhere in between)

if it cranks, then check for spark. if spark, then check for fuel. if both spark and fuel then check compression.

to check spark, remove the boot from the sparkplug and install a spark checker (less than $10.00 for a good unit @ parts houses). or, you could try to hold a screwdriver in the boot and have an assistant crank.

if no spark, then suspect a crank sensor. you could try swapping out the one from the 535, but it could also break, too, so be careful if you do go that route.